Asylum Seeker Rejected in Germany to be Returned to Greece

The first migrant whose refugee application was rejected by Germany will be returned to Greece by the end of October, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency reports.

The applicant; a third-country national, had received a visa to travel to Greece and then went to Germany where he applied for asylum. The application was rejected.

Under the EU Dublin Regulation on the Return of Migrants and Asylum Seekers, Greece must, in consultation with the German authorities, consider the case.

In this case Greece accepted to take back the migrant.

The Dublin Regulation was activated for Greece on 15 March 2017, and concerns individuals who entered the European Union from the Greek territory and were arrested in other EU members-states.

It also stipulates that for any return requested, there should be prior consultation between the EU state concerned and the Greek authorities.

According to the Greek Asylum Service, by the end of September 2017 the country had received 1,003 return requests from the following countries: Austria (4 requests), Belgium (24), Czech Republic (1), Estonia (1), France (6), Germany (891), Luxembourg (1), the Netherlands (3), Norway (24), Slovenia (5), Sweden (3), Switzerland (39), and United Kingdom (1).

Of these requests, 486 have been rejected, 35 have been accepted, 38 have been withdrawn and 444 are pending.